Humoral immunity in measles infection: a critical factor?

Cell-mediated immunity is generally regarded as the essential factor in recovery from measles infection. In other viral infections humoral immunity has been considered a critical factor when antibody titres were correlated with outcome or when serum therapy proved protective. A review of available studies of severe-to-fatal cases of measles infection having non-neurological symptoms indicate that the antibody response is depressed in virtually all cases. The current view of immune globulin being an ineffective therapeutic agent is based on treatment of measles encephalitis; in fact, the least effect should be expected among encephalitis cases since some already have antibodies from the onset of symptoms. Larger examinations of measles with other than neurological symptoms suggest that immune globulin has a beneficial impact on the clinical course of infection. There are indications that hyperimmune globulin increases the efficacy of this form of treatment. Since measles is still a major cause of hospitalization and mortality, further studies of the therapeutic effect of specific immune globulin are warranted. From our current knowledge, both the humoral and cell-mediated immunity seem to be critical factors in recovery from measles infection.